Glass-press



(No Model.) 3 ShLeetS- -Sheet 1.

W. M. WALLACE.

. GLASS PRESS. No. 281,740. 7 V Patented July 24, 1883.

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(No Modei.) a s Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. M. WALLAGE.-

GLASS PREss.

No. 281,740. Patented July 24, 1883.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

' W. M. WALLACE.

GLASS PRESS.

No. 281,740. Patented July 24, 1883.

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- FFICE.

ATENT WILLIAM M. YVALLAGE,

or BRIDGEPORT, OHIO.

GLASS-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,740,'dated July 24, 1883.

Application filed May 26. 1833.

(No model.)

To all whom, it may concern/.- 7

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM M. VVALLACE, of Bridgeport, in the county of Belmont and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Glass-Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure l is a front elevation of my improved machinepress. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 50 a: of Fig. 2, looking toward the left.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

Upon a suitable bed-plate, a, is bolted a standard, I), the upper end of which is bent over to form a horizontal hearing, which is recessed, as at b, so as to form two arms, which sustain two crOssheads, b". The cross-heads I) are bored vertically, and threaded for the passage of a vertical screw-shaft, c, which is grooved or key-seated at one side, as at c,

Fig. 3.

Placed on the screw-shaft, between the two cross-heads b, is a beveled pinion, cl, having a feather, d, which enters the key-seat c of the shaft, so that when the pinion is rotated it causes the shaft to turn and to screw up or downin the cross-heads b according as the movement of the pinion is to the right or left.

Bolted to the upper end of the standard (I by means of a foot, 6, is a vertical plate or bearing, 6, in the upper end of which a horizontal shaft, f, is journaled. Mounted upon the shaft f is a large beveled-gear wheel, 9, which meshes into the beveled pinion d, and is provided with a handle, whereby it is operated. Secured to the upper end or plain portion of the shaft 0 by means of collars h, fastened by set-screws h is a cross-head, h. The cross-heads h and If are bored at their outer ends for receiving two threaded rods, z. On-the threaded portions of these rods are nuts i, two of which are placed above the cross-head h, and two between the cross-head.

h and the upper cross-head, c. The purpose of these nuts is to limit the vertical movement of the rods. Placed 011 the rods, be

tween the lower nuts, 1', and the cross-head h, are springs i and secured to the lower end of the rods is a ring, h, to which is secured a mold-ring,

On the lower end of the shaft 0 is a head or disk, 0*, the end of the rod being turned off 5 5 to form a narrowerportion or neck, 0". Loosely secured in the neck-recess by means of the disk 0 is a collar, Z. The plunger m is fast ened to the shaft 0 by means of a set-screw, m, which screws against the loose collar Z, so that the plunger may be capable of remaining sta tionary while the shaft 0 is turning, and of being turned while the shaft 0 is stationary. On the outer surface or periphery of the plunger are screw-threads m of any form or shape that it may be desirable to give to the inner side of the flange of the glass cap which is made by the machine, and on the upper surface of the plunger is a ratchet, m. A pawl, h, which is pivoted to the side of the shaft, plays in the ratchet. A mold, 0, of suitable form, is secured on the bed-plate a, being centered in any desired manner with the plunger. The operation of my improved machine is as follows The plunger being in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the requisite quantity of glass is placed inthe mold. Then the wheel 9 is turned, by means of the handle 9, in the proper direction to cause the shaft 0 to screw downward in the cross-heads Zr. The springs i being in the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, are compressed by the descent of the crossheads h and act against the lower nuts, 11, so as to force the ring k down into the mold, in the position shown in Fig. 3, before the plunger m begins to act upon the glass in the mold. The plunger m, being loosely attached to and not affected by the rotation of the shaft 0, dc scends into the mold without rotating, and consequently presses the glass in the usual manner of non-rotatoryplungers. The plastic glass is pressed into the threaded recesses on the periphery of the plunger, so that a counterpart of the latter is produced on the inner surface of the flange of the cap formed in the mold. When the pressing has been accomplished, the movement of the wheel 9 is reversed, which causes the screw-shaft 0 to be turned in a reverse direction and to rise in its screw-bearings b, and thereby withdraw the acter and integrity of the threads formed there-. in. hen the plunger has been withdrawn, the mold is removed and the cap discharged therefrom in the usual way. It will be noticed from this description that the pressing is accomplished by a non-rotary plunger, and that the withdrawal of the plunger causes its rotation, so as to unscrew it from the glass.

One advantage of this method of operation over that class of machines in which glass screw-caps, telegraph-insulators, and similar articles having screw-threads are made by first screwing the plunger into the glass during its descent, and then unscrewing it during its retraction, is that it 'does not break down or crush the edge of the flange, which is almost invariably the case with such machines. The reason for this objection to these machines is, that the power of the screw in descending is so great that the movement of the plunger must be limited with great care, and that the workman does not usually so limit it. This effect is furtl'rer aided by the action of the inclined threads of the rotating plunger forcing the glass down into the bottom of the mold and packing it under the plunger, so that in the workmans effort to get the plunger down to the usual distance he crushes the cap by reason of the unusual force he exerts upon the machine. In my machine the plunger, descen ding, as it does, in the usual way, is stopped by the resistance of the glass when it has filled the mold-cavity up to the mold-ring k, the formation of the article being accomplished by the dead thrust of the plunger. In addition to this advantage, my machine imparts an unusuallysmooth and perfect thread to the glass, and is simple in construction and operation.

\Vhile I have shown a plunger for making continuous threads upon glass articles, I do not limit myself thereto, but also claim the formation of inclined lugs or parts of screws, and also the use of a plain-faced plunger capable of a dead thrust and of a rotary reverse motion in order to give a waved or spiraldrawn appearance to the internal surface of glass articles.

I do not limit myself to the formation of glass screw-caps, but claim also the use of the machine for making telegraph-insulators and all other articles to which it is applicable. Nor do I limit myself to the devices shown and described for giving a rotary movement to the plunger during its retraction, but claim, broadly, a plunger capable of a dead thrust and an automatic rotary retractive motion, as well as the particular construction shown and described.

It will be noticed that the gear-wheel g is' large, so that the pressing motion is communicated to the plunger by a short radial stroke or sweep of the lever r/. This is different from all prior machines known to me, in that such prior machines have a small gear-wheel, and require a complete rotation to be given to it by means of the crank. The objection to this construction is, that the motion of the crank must be rapid in order to secure the proper movement of the plunger, and such rapidity of motion often causes the operator to force the plunger too far or too strongly down into the mold, and tends to destroy or injure the article. To obviate this difficulty stops have been provided to limit the motion of the plunger; but such devices are not practically useful, for the reason that the quantity of glass put into the mold often varies. By the use of the large gear-wheel I am enabled to secure a rapid and very powerful movement of the plunger with a short and comparatively slow stroke of the lever 9, so that the operator is enabled to stop the motion of the gear-wheel with great accuracy when he feels by the resistance to the plunger that the mold is full and the article formed.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Ina glass-press, a plunger capable of a dead thrust and an automatic rotary retractive motion, substantially as and for the pur poses described.

2. The combination, in a glass-press, of a plunger loosely secured to its shaft, with de vices for causing its automatic rotation during its retraction from the mold, substantially as and for the purposes described.

3. In a glass-press, the combination of a screw-shaft, a plunger loosely attached to such shaft, and devices whereby the plunger is caused to turn with the shaft during its reverse movement, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. The combination, in a glass-prcss, screw-shaft having a plunger loosely attached thereto, and provided with a ratchet, and a pawl attached to the shaft, so as to engage with the ratchet during the backward or reverse motion of the screw-shaft, substantially as and for the purposes described.

5. The combination, in a glass-press,'of a screw-shaft provided with a loose plunger, and devices for communicating the rotary motion of the shaft to the plunger during its reverse movement, with screw-bearings for the shaft, a sliding pinion mounted on the shaft, and a gear-wheel. for operating the pinion, substan tially as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination, in a. glass-press, of a screw-shaft provided with a plunger, screwbearings for the shaft, a sliding pinion mounted on the shaft, and a large gear-wheel provided with an operating-lever for actuating the pinion, substantially as and for the purposes de scribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 21st day of May, A. D. 1883.

XVILLIAH M. VALLACE.

IOQ

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